Garment



March 10, 1936. P. CUNNINGHAM 2,033,456'

GARMENT 'Filed Sept. 14, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNvENToR BY 6.4.; Am; MM.; www,

A'VroRNEw- March 10, 1936. P. CUNNINGHAM GARMENT Filed Sept. 14, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY4 Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Ohio, a corporation of Ohio to The Piqua Hosiery Company, Inc., Piqua,

Application September 14, 1935, Serial No. 40,612

4 claims. (o1. 2-67) This invention relates to bathing suits of the one-piece style, and is concerned more particularly with closely fitting suits made of elastic material, such as knitted suits or suits of elastic 5 webbing or made of rubber-cored yarn, which have a novel construction and an improved, attractive appearance.- The garments may take vari-ous forms and be made of various elastic fabrics, but for purposes of illustration will be described in the form of a knitted suit, although it will be apparent that its utility is not limited to that particular use.

One-piece knitted bathing suits have heretofore been commonly constructed in two forms, either consisting of a body portion with a top and a skirt, with trunks concealed Within the skirt, or consisting of a body portion including v a top and leg sections, Without a skirt.

Suits which include a skirt and trunks have heretofore been constructed of a body portion having a top and skirt, with trunks separately made and secured within the body portion by stitching at the waistline. This stitching may extend entirely around the waistline, or may be segmented, to provide greater freedom to the wearer, as described in U. S. Patent No. 1,989,753,

` to Walter D. Ide. The body portion is commonly made by taking the fabric, woven in the form of a tube, and cutting therefrom two sections, one corresponding to the back and one to the front, and securing these sections together at the sides. The trunks are separately formed from front and back sections, secured by inseams and outseams at the sides and the crotch, and having a crotch insert or gusset between the sections at the crotch. In such suits, the side seams of the body section overlie those of the trunks when the garment is worn, producing an undesirable rib-like prctrusion or ridge at the sides over the hips and upper thighs. In these garments, the back section,- made of a piece of material separate from the front section, must be symmetrical with respect to the median line of the back, With the result that when the garment is worn, the Wales are distorted, producing an undesirable appearance, and rendering uneven the bottom edge of the skirt.

Suits which have no skirt, but merely a top section and bottom section, including leg sections, have heretofore been made by taking the fabric, knitted in the form of a tube, and cutting back and front sections, which are secured together by inseams and outseams at the sides and the crotch. A crotch insert or gusset is provided between the sections to form the crotch. In

such suits the side seams provide undesirable riblike protrusions or ridges at the sides over the hips and upper thighs. Also, as the back section must be symmetrical with respect to the median line of the back, the Wales of the fabric run vertically in the back section, and, when the garment is Worn, become distorted, marring the appearance of the garment.

In both types of garments previously described, it has become common recently to insert separate brassire sections in the upper front of the garment. Such sections, to fulfil their function properly, and to afford proper protection, must extend back beyond the median lines of the sides. Heretofore, this extension has been secured by the insertion of an extra piece of material to form the portion of the brassire section back of the side seam, and this Whether the suit is of the backless construction or has a back. The insertion of this extra small piece of material is, of course, undesirable, both because of its eiect on the appearance of the suit and its cost.

'Accordingly this invention is directed to the provision of garments of this character in which overlying or undesirable seams at the sides are avoided, in which the Wales of the fabric in the back of the garment follow the natural lines of the body andV are not distorted when the garment'is Worn, and in which brassire inserts, at the top of the suit, may be extended as far back as desired without necessitating the insertion of extra small pieces of material.

The new garments may be of the type Which includes a skirt, or may be skirtless. In the type provided with a skirt, the garment includes a body portion consisting of a top and a skirt, the body portion being formed of a single piece of material properly shaped and formed, with a seam at the median line of the back. The material is cut so that the Wales adjacent the seam in back diverge downwardly from the seam to follow the natural body lines. If desired, brassire inserts may be provided at the top of the nbody portion. These may be extended as far back as desired.

The trunks used With these garments may be made in any desired manner, but may consist of a pair of sections secured together by inseams and cutseams, and a .crotch insert o-r gusset of the usual elliptical shape secured in place by the usual stitching; or, in another desirable modiiication, the trunks are made from a single piece of material, properly shaped, and secured by a single seam at the median line of the back, the material being out in such manner that the wales diverge downwardly from the seam and follow the natural lines of the body. In this latter construction, a crotch insert or gusset is used to form the crotch.

Garments of the skirtless type are preferably made from a single piece of material secured by a seam at the back and provided with an insert or gusset to form the crotch. Such garments may also include brassire inserts.

It will be apparent that in the garments of the present invention seams at the sides of the garments may be completely avoided, or, in the skirted type of garment, but one seam, that of the concealed trunks, may be at the sides, thus avoiding the overlying seams of the garments heretofore used; avoiding the objectionable ridge or protrusion at the side of the hips, and producing a more slender appearance when the garment is worn. In these novel garments, a better t is obtained, because the wales of the fabric in the back, and particularly over the seat, follow the natural lines of the body and are not unduly distorted. Also, these novel garments have the advantage of allowing the use of brassire inserts of proper depth to insure protection, without requiring the insertion of an extra piece of material, with resultant improved appearance and lessened cost of manufacture.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view of one form of the garment which embodies the invention in use;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation with parts broken away of the garment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in rear elevation of the garment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the garment on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the garment on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view in front elevation of another form of garment which embodies the invention;

Fig. '7 is a view in rear' elevation of the garment of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a view in front elevation of another form of garment which embodies the invention with parts broken away;

Fig. 10 is a view in rear elevation of the garment of Fig. 9, with parts broken away; and

Fig. l1 is a sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, the garment illustrated in Figs. 1-5 comprises body section I0, with top II and skirt I2, formed of knitted woolen material, shaped from a single piece of material and sewn at seam I3 along the median line of the back. Shoulder straps I4 are provided to support the garment. In the top, above the waistline I5, are provided brassire inserts I6 secured in place by stitching I'I. The brassire sections extend back of the median lines of the sides, as shown at I8. Disposed Within body portion I0 are trunks I9, formed of tWo sections, 20 and 2|, secured together by outseams 22 and inseams 23, with crotch insert or gusset 24. The trunks are fastened along the waistline to the body portion by suitable stitching 25. In some cases, as when the garment is made of loosely knit material, it may be desirable to line the garment in the usual manner.

In order to assure proper fitting of the garment and to avoid distortion of the fabric when it is worn, the body portion is cut on a slight bias, so that the wales diverge downwardly from the seam in the back as shown at 26, insuring a smooth, even nt of the garment in the rear, as the wales of the fabric tend to follow the natural lines of the body and do not distort in use, or tend todraw up the bottom edge of the skirt.

The body portion is made from knitted fabric, produced in the usual tubular or cylindrical form. The tube or cylinder is cut along a longitudinal element to form a flat section, and the two longitudinal edges are then out, somewhat on the bias, to the required shape.

With the construction shown, it is apparent that at either side of the garment the only vertical seam is that of the trunks, which lies under the skirt; and it is apparent that any ridge formed by side seams of the skirt and trunks overlying is avoided. It is also apparent that the brassire sections may be made of any desirable size, extending back beyond the side of the garment without being travsersed by a vertical seam, or requiring the insertion of an extra piece of material to provide the proper depth to the brassire sections.

The garment shown in Figs. 6-8 is a skirtless bathing suit which embodies the invention. It

consists of a single body piece 30, fashioned from a single piece of material, and secured at the back by seam 3I. It is provided with brassire inserts, 32, fastened to the body portion by seams 33, said inserts having extensions 34 adapted to pass around the wearers neck to support the garment. The crotch is formed by insert 35 fastened to the body portion by seams 36. The roughly rectangular crotch insert 35 is used in this garment to avoid the objectionable appearance of the usual elliptical insert, as the garment is not provided with a skirt, which ordinarily serves to conceal the crotch insert.

As in the garment of Figs. 1-6, this garment is fashioned from a tubular portion of knitted material, and is cut somewhat on the bias, so that the wales of the material diverge downwardly to follow the natural contour of the body. No vertical seams are present at the sides of the garment.

The garment shown in Figs. 9-11 includes a skirt and trunks. The construction of the body section, including the skirt, is similar to that of the garment of Figs. 1 6, but the trunks are of modified construction. 'I'hey consist of a piece of material 40, with a seam 4I at the median line of the back, and with the usual crotch insert or gusset 42 of the usual elliptical shape, fastened by stitching 43, to form the crotch. The trunks are fastened to the body portion at the Waistline as in the garment of Figs. 1-6. The trunks are fashioned from material which is cut on the bias so that the Wales follow the natural lines of the body over the seat as previously pointed out in connection with the garment of- Figs. 7-9.

In all forms of the garment, it will be apparent that objectionable vertical ridges at the side over the hips are avoided, and that the garments are so designed that the wales on ribs of the fabric follow the contour of the body as far as possible, avoiding distortion of the fabric, and insuring a smooth, even t, particularly at the lower portions of the garment, over the seat. Also, it will be apparent that the construction of the garments is simpler than that of similar garments heretofore made.

The present invention is not limited to the particular forms of garments described. It will be apparent that it is advantageously applicable to suits of backless construction, in which the provision of brassire sections adequate to give proper protection is of particular importance. It is also apparent that the invention may advantageously be used in conjunction with the method of fastening trunks Within a one-piece suit described by Walter D. Ide in U. S. Patent No. 1,989,753, granted Feb. 5, 1935.

While the invention has been ilustrated by reference to suits made of knitted material, it is to be understood that the invention includes the use of other elastic material and is applicable generally to the so-called form-fitting suits, that is, suits which are entended to embrace the body closely, and in which an elastic material is used to accomplish this purpose.

The term on the straight as used in some of the appended claims designates the direction in which the Wales in knitted fabrics, or the threads in other types of fabrics, run with respect to the length of the garment.

I claim:

1. A bathing suit or like close-fitting garment which comprises a member having a top section and a bottom section adapted to extend respectively above and below the waist, at least the major portion of which is formed of a single blank of material folded to generally circular form and having its longitudinal edges cut on the bias for substantially the entirelength thereof and permanently united by a vertical seam lying n the median line of the back, said blank being formed of a material elastic at least in a direction transverse to the length of the garment and having the material on the straight at the center of the front.

2. A bathing suit or like close-fitting garment Which comprises a member having a top section and a bottom section adapted to extend respectively above and below the Waist, at least the major portion of which is formed of a single blank of knitted material having the Wales running generally lengthwise thereof, said blank being folded to generally circular form and having its longitudinal edges out across the wales and permanently united by a vertical seam lying in the median line of the back, the wales at the center of the front running vertically and those at the back diverging downwardly from said vertical seam.

3. A bathing suit or like close-fitting garment which comprises a member having a top section and a bottom section including leg sections, said sections being adapted to extend respectively above and below the waist, at least the major portion of said garment being formed of a single blank of material folded to generally circular form and having its longitudinal edges d cut on the bias for substantially the entire length thereof and permanently united by a vertical seam lying in. the median line of the back, said blank being formed of a material elastic at least in a direction transverse to the length of the garment and having the material on the straight at the center of the front.

4. A bathing suit or like close-fitting garment which comprises a member having a top section and a bottom section including a skirt, said sections being adapted to extend respectively above and below the Waist, and trunks lying Within said skirt, at least the major portion o-f said member being formed of a single blank of material folded to generally circular form and r having its edges cut on the basis for substantially the entire length thereof and permanently united by a vertical seam in the median line of the back, said blank being formed of a material elastic at least in a direction transverse to the length of the garment and having the material on the straight at the center of the front.

, PATRICIA CUNNINGHAM. 

